On September 25, 1980, the rock world lost John Bonham of Led Zeppelin, who was arguably the greatest rock drummer to have ever lived. During his time in Led Zeppelin, Bonham had appeared on all nine Zeppelin albums which include the great Led Zeppelin 1, 2, 3, and 4 as well as other classics such as Houses Of The Holy, Physical Graffiti, and so much more. The man was known for his hard hitting style as well as his feel for the groove which influenced so many rock drummers all over the world. John Bonham was the reason a lot of kids wanted to become a rock drummer back in the day and he still should be influencing people. Unfortunately, on this day in 1980, he would be found dead in Jimmy Page’s house by John Paul Jones and Benji LeFevre, who was Zeppelin’s tour manager. According to a report, in a 24 hour period he consumed, “40 shots (1–1.4 litres) of 40% ABV vodka.” Nevertheless, the man left a legacy in his work and if you want to hear some of his hard hitting smash sound, check out the tracks Immigrant Song (Led Zeppelin III), When The Levee Breaks (Led Zeppelin IV), Kashmir (Physical Graffiti), The Ocean (Houses Of The Holy), and Achilles Last Stand (Presence). He also appeared on other songs from all sorts of different artists like Lulu (Everybody Clap), Screaming Lord Sutch (Lord Sutch And Heavy Friends), Jimmy Stevens (Don’t Freak Me Out), and more.

In a recent interview with Train Singer Pat Monahan’s podcast, Jason Bonham reflected on the day he was told his father passed away, “I was 14, he was 32. It was like, wham! — I remember not knowing really what the hell was going on. When you don’t know anything about death, and no one close to you has died […] I can play that day back perfectly clear in my head. I went to the back door — knock on the back door. There was Robert Plant and Maureen were there, which was strange, because they were supposed to be at rehearsals. I’m in my school uniform. He says, ‘Is your mom here?’ And I went, ‘Yeah, hold on.’ ‘Robert’s here? What’s he doing here? Where’s your dad?’ […] I remember seeing family arrive out of the corner of my eye and getting upset, and I didn’t know why I was upset, but I knew something was up. My mom came in and said ‘Your father’s passed away.’ I remember going, ‘Oh, okay. Am I still going to school tomorrow?’ You’re just — life goes on.” I am going to share with you, two of my favorite Zeppelin songs below with one being Bonzo’s legendary drum solo Moby Dick and the second being my favorite Zeppelin song Immigrant Song. Long Live the legacy and legend of John Bonham.